


Something Instead of Nothing

by Pennatus



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Angst, Fluff, M/M, coffee shop AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-23
Updated: 2013-09-23
Packaged: 2017-12-27 09:36:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/977236
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pennatus/pseuds/Pennatus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Derek has been hopelessly enamored with his adorable barista for the past year. The problem? He actually fails at social interaction and his attempts to woo Scott have backfired so tremendously that he’s pretty sure Scott thinks he’s an epic douchebag who kicks puppies for fun. It doesn’t help that Scott already has a girlfriend and his best friend likes to make Derek’s life hell.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Something Instead of Nothing

"So, let me get this straight. You're in love, with a guy, who's your barista, and hates your guts?"

"Cora," Derek says in a warning tone and it's supposed to come out as a growl but it sounds more like a resigned sigh. He dropped his head onto the table. "We're not talking about it."

"I can't believe you own a coffee store. Why would you buy a coffee store?"

"Why would you go to South America?" Derek retorted without looking up.

"I have my reasons."

"And I have mine."

Cora smirked. "For being gay? That's genetics. For your one true love hating you? That's a Hale family trait."

Derek sat back and pulled a hand through his hair but failed to respond.

"Look, I really think we should talk about this, especially after how your _last_ two relationships went."

Derek's glare was cutting and promptly ignored by his sister. "No."

"Wait, you haven't been taking dating advice from Peter have you? Because that would explain a lot."

" _No_."

"At least you learned something."

He pushed back his seat rather angrily and began pacing the room. "Can we talk about _anything_ else?"

"Sure…as soon as you tell me why he hates you."

"He just does."

"No one just _hates_ someone else. Even if that person is you."

"He just _does_."

Cora leaned forward, folding her hands together as she watched Derek's path. "Look, I don't mean to mock you - "

"Yes you do."

She grinned. "All right, I do. But I really do care, you should know that. You're my big brother! I came all this way for you, shouldn't you at least tell me what's bothering you?"

Derek stopped, facing away from her, crossing his arms. "…it was a bunch of different things."

Cora raised an eyebrow and he heaved a sigh.

"There was one time…"

 

\--

 

Derek honestly has no idea why he bought a coffee store and isn't that the biggest lie of his life.

He knows _exactly why_ he bought a coffee store, just as he knows the exact time Paige died, or the weather on the day the cops told him his house had burned down with almost all his family inside. He knows his exact reasons for everything he does - it's just who he is, part of the Hale inside him. They're analytical and rash, a strange combination for anyone who doesn't know their family. Sometimes the analytical side comes out too much (Peter) and sometimes the rash streak is all too prominent (persons unnamed - AKA himself) but no matter what both of those traits were at war inside of him, inside every one of his family, and it was always a matter of balancing the two out or, sometimes, seeing which side would win. Just because Derek knew why he did something didn't mean he acknowledged it, or even appreciated it. He liked to think that repression was a way of dealing with things and it was, really, although the word healthy may never be in the description.

4:53 pm, bright and sunny with the sky an eye searing blue.

So, no, the coffee store isn't so weird. What's weird is the fact that he hired this dark haired scrawny little teenager on the spot to help him run it.

It's not like he was the only employee. The place actually had a fairly good turnout for being in the middle of godforsaken nowhere and he actually had several different shifts, including a sassy dark haired kid named Isaac that often worked with Scott. He himself tended to show up rather randomly, whenever he felt like it, and if anyone had a problem with it they could go fuck themselves.

But this _kid_. He didn't have anything, really. No skills, no prior experience, no _anything._ Just this flyboy hair that stuck up and needed to be smoothed out (as in, Derek wanted to touch it and see if it was as smooth as his imagination led him to believe) and this _smile_. It was more than a smile, more like a look, or a whole body shift. Derek had first seen it at the interview. They'd been sipping on coffee (Derek offered him some for free, never let it be said he didn't know how to treat his future employees) when he put his coffee down, leaned over the table, looked Derek dead in the eye and said, "I'd make a great addition to this workplace." The line felt so freaking scripted Derek just wanted to laugh but somehow his body language had conveyed how utterly sincere he was.

And suddenly he wanted to cry, that someone was still that young, that someone was still that naïve. The next day Scott was working in his shop.

Fuck, that was a terrible decision. But hey his life was full of them, he was rolling in bad decisions, he could still smell the ashes of his last one. It was basically a mountain now, who cares if you pile on a few stones at the base.

He really should've known, though. If there was one thing he'd learned in life it was this: never, ever get your hopes up.

Because Scott was his hope. For a better future, hell, for _any_ future. Derek figured he'd skate on by, not really living because how can you live when you don't exist? It was easier that way, to pretend his life had no meaning, because if it did he'd have to face all the meaning that had been torn away and how little was truly left, even if that little was the only reason he was still alive today.

But now that Scott was his hope, he was also his destruction.

Derek thought he'd know better but history always had a way of repeating itself.

Regardless of his meandering thoughts and his morbid and depressing line of thinking, Derek had hired Scott. Which meant that Scott now worked at his coffee store. Which meant that Derek had to see him _every day_ , or at least, however many days a week he actually ending up going into his own store, which was a variable Derek himself hadn't pinned down (because, on some days, the sadness crushed him until it was too much work to leave his bed and too much work to end the pain). Which meant that Derek got x days a week to make himself look like a total and utter asshole, something which apparently came more naturally to him then breathing.

It was hard, really, for him not to lash out now. The only people who saw through it - who could retaliate in kind - were his family, and now they numbered so few that it was easier to be labeled an asshole then bother to have his situation explained.

He'd rather be hated than pitied anyway, so it worked out, in a sick sort of way.

Scott had been working at his coffee store for about two months. It had been two months, time that Derek found himself considering on more than one occasion. It wasn't as though everything was all happy and good all of a sudden, like Scott being there magically made him feel better, but there was _something_. It was like this itch you had between your shoulder blades that you could just _finally reach_ and you didn't even know it was bothering you until someone scratched there and it just felt _so good_.

Ok, so his analogies needed work too.

The point was, just being around Scott had pulled a bit of the weight off his shoulders. It was - nice, to see him smile at customers, see him busily making coffee, see him wiping down tables and chatting with friends (that dark haired girl must be his girlfriend and, no, it didn't bother Derek at all, but that scrawy annoying kid _did_ bother Derek a lot). Derek didn't want to sink to the creeper level, but there had been several occasions he had considered following Scott home, mostly because Scott worked late at night and walked home when even the streetlamps were considering it late. He'd refrained, however, mostly because he didn't want to be caught and have to deal with the ensuing incredibly awkward conversation that would no doubt follow.

Because he hadn't really _talked_ with Scott. He didn't really talk with anyone, other than perhaps Peter, but that often ended in shouting, so whether or not that could be called talking was up for debate. He didn't _do_ social, not anymore, not really when he was younger either. Paige had been able to see past the awkwardness but she was the exception, not the rule. She always was, in so many ways. She always would be.

It was bright and early and Derek was at the coffee store following a string of nightmares that had kept him up. When he'd gotten out of bed he thought going to work would be more productive than moping, but with the sun just peaking over the horizon he was beginning to regret that decision as almost every action was broken by a yawn. Scott was, by some miracle or curse, working in the morning that day, probably because it was Saturday and he didn't have classes and wanted to do homework in the afternoon or something. Derek didn't really care. It'd been so long since high school it felt like nothing but a vague memory now and college hadn't even been in the picture and thus any recollections of school and its subsequent responsibilities had been forgotten.

Regardless, here he was, pouring and mixing coffee as Scott took orders from the weird rush of people they had that morning. Who the hell got up this early on a Saturday?

As he mixed someone's peppermint mocha latte bullshit (since when did they serve seasonal drinks? He felt like he should remember approving this), he listened as Scott chatted with one of the customers about some race or marathon or exercise thing happening this morning. At least that explained the people. Because of that, he totally missed the fact Peter was in line until he heard his voice say, "Good morning, Scott."

Scott, totally oblivious (as usual) to Peter's…whatever Peter had, replied, "Morning. The usual?"

"You know me too well," and the smirk Peter directed towards Derek's glare had a definite challenge to it.

Fine then. Derek had just the thing.

He wasn't sure if what he added to Peter's coffee was entirely legal and he liked to conveniently forget where he had gotten it, but if it ended in Peter getting thrown in jail then all the better. He had no doubt of Peter's ability to charm his way out of any given situation.

He forgot about the incident until -

"Scott, my coffee smells a bit odd, would you mind trying it for me?"

And Scott, being the fucking idiot that he is, obligingly reaches for it.

Honestly, Derek is going to kill Peter.

Well he can't let Scott drink it, obviously. He suspects that might actually break some sort of employer/employee code or moral rule and he doesn't want to hurt Scott in any way.

He blames it on the fact that's it way too early o'clock that he decides the best way to get Scott to stop is to _bat it out of his hand_.

Peter's smirk makes the whole thing worse.

Now Scott's standing there, looking a bit stunned, staring at the coffee stain in his outfit, then looking at Derek with a disapproving crinkle between his eyebrows. Derek thinks explaining that he drugged his own uncle's coffee in their silent never ending war would end worse than any other option so he just turns away and stalks out of the store.

In his book, today is officially over.

 

\--

 

"…you're serious."

"You wanted to know."

Cora leaned back, her lips pressed together in a manner that clearly indicated she was trying not to break into hysterical laughter. "I can't believe that any part of your life is like some bad romantic comedy."

Derek had to snort at that one. "If it was, it'd be a lot easier."

"Ok, so you spilled some coffee. It happens."

Derek sighed. "I think when he really started avoiding me was…"

 

\--

 

He was going to punch the next person that so much as _looked_ at him funny.

The day started out with tripping over a puppy. Luckily the puppy wasn't hurt due to Derek's quick thinking and reflexes but he wasn't so lucky as he tripped right into a bookcase and knocked the entire thing over on top of himself. He suspected he might have a mild concussion as everything felt a bit hazy for the rest of the day.

He walked - well more like stumbled - into the kitchen to remember he'd been too lazy yesterday to get groceries and so didn't really have anything to eat, not that it was the first time it'd happened. Deciding to forgo breakfast, he walked out to his car to discover it had a fucking flat tire.

After taking way too long to fix it, he drove to work to find that some machine there had broken down. He didn't really care about money - he had more than enough to take care of that - but that just meant all they could serve was regular brewed coffee and there wasn't much of anything to do other than standing around and pouring it. He stood there for about ten minutes, glaring at the broken piece of equipment, generally hating life, swaying as another wave of dizziness hit him. Wasn't this day just fucking great.

He felt his anger rising, that instinctive urge to lash out, and he decided to go home before another piece of machinery was broken.

Walking out the door he ran straight into the last person he wanted to see, ever - Deucalion.

 

\--

 

" _What?_ "

"Can you let me finish the story?"

"You have a restraining order on him, you could have him arrested! Throw his ass in jail!"

Derek shrugged. "I know."

Cora's sigh expressed her exasperation.

"It's a pain in the ass to get the cops involved. You know that."

"That's what the restraining order's for, Derek. Getting rid of him."

"Peter usually scares him off, I can tell he enjoys that."

"He's around a lot?"

"Sometimes."

Cora rolled her eyes. "You're worthless."

"Not like I wanted to see him…"

 

\--

 

"Get the fuck away from me," Derek said flatly before Deucalion even uttered a word.

The other man just smiled and Derek could somehow feel his stare through the black glasses. "Wanted to check up on you, Derek. You haven't been looking well today."

Derek got that creepy feeling crawling along the back of his neck, as he did any time he talked to Deucalion. The man had a creepy obsession with him that had started as far back as high school and had only worsened as time went on. He seemed to find a strange sort of pleasure in Derek's misfortune.

"I will call the police."

The threat never worked and this time was no exception. "No need for that, Derek, I just want to talk."

He turned away, intending to walk away, when Deucalion's words stopped him cold. "It doesn't have anything to do with that young employee…Scott, isn't it?"

Derek whirled back around, fists clenching. He could tell Deucalion was pleased to get a rise out of him but the thought of anyone laying a _finger_ on Scott was enough to whip his simmering anger into a rage.

Deucalion smiled, tapping his cane on the ground. "I thought so. I think he's good for you, Derek. He seems to have a calming effect. He could _tame_ you."

Fuck it.

He should've punched Deucalion ages ago.

He shook his fist out, the knuckles smarting a bit. The startled look on Deucalion's face was enough to make up for everything that had happened today along with the bit of blood that leaked from the other's lip.

"You do anything to him _and I will kill you_ ," and the thing that scared Derek the most was that he wasn't kidding.

That smile was back. "I wouldn't dream of it."

Walking away felt like defeat because that smile promised lies.

 

\--

 

"Asshole."

This drew a smile out of Derek though he didn't respond.

Cora was lost in thought for a few minutes. "And Scott was working then?"

"…yeah."

"Ah, so he thinks you just randomly punched a blind guy because you were pissed off at the world?"

Derek scrubbed a hand over his face, not bothering to confirm her guess.

She sighed, glancing off to the side. "Ok, I can see why he doesn't like you now. And you didn't bother to explain any of this?"

"If I explained my fucked up life, it'd make me look worse, not better."

"You don't know that."

"I can't believe my own life sometimes."

She smirked. "Neither can I. A coffee store?"

Derek dropped back into the chair. "Drop it."

"I want to see."

His brows furrowed. "What?"

"I want to see you work with him. Does he work tomorrow?"

"…why?"

She shrugged. "I just do. Plus I want to see this coffee shop. And talk to Peter."

 

\--

 

They had their problems.

Derek was the one who worried her the most, though. It had been so hard on him. She still remembered his face, that expression that had been caught on his features when he learned of their house burning down. Peter, catatonic. Laura and Derek, still alive, saved by luck, if it could be called that. That grief, that emptiness, it had cut so deep. Derek never knew how to deal with it. She feared that the guilt he had over Paige still lingered and he only added to it by thinking of their long gone family. He'd been stuck for years, moving without living, especially after Laura…

When she heard he'd settled down, bought a store, she thought the worst was over. She thought that, just maybe, he'd finally started moving on, started traveling through whatever was eating him inside. But talking to him, on the phone and through video chats, had revealed something else.

Derek was obsessed. With what, she wasn't sure until she'd come home and heard about Scott. It was obvious to her in the nuances of his voice, his words, even his posture. Derek had found something he wanted to hold on to and, as usual, had no idea what to do about it.

She'd always felt like Derek was younger than her instead of older and this was no exception.

Cora hoped it meant that he could stop drowning himself in all the sadness that had happened in his relatively short life, but even if that wasn't the case it was relieving to see him lust after something rather than try and avoid anything.

It was also damn funny to see him dance around Scott.

She hid her smirk behind the magazine she was pretending to read. It was interesting to watch the two men work together. They had an odd sort of symmetry and chemistry. Scott seemed to keep this unconscious distance between them, not out of fear but rather wariness, as though he was edging his way around a rabid animal. Despite that, they moved in a graceful flow, never crossing paths, never confusing actions, their rolls already defined. Derek worked with his head down with a resigned set to his shoulders, clearly used to the silence and awkward professionalism between them that he had probably established himself.

The bell rang cheerily as two people, an attractive girl and a thin guy in mismatched clothing, came in. Scott immediately smiled and began removing his apron. Derek said nothing but moved to the counter with a neutral expression as his employee approached the other two.

The girl said something quietly that Cora didn't catch and Scott nodded.

"It'll beat working around here," and it was obvious the boy said that loud enough for Derek to hear.

Derek's eyes narrowed but other than that he didn't respond. The girl gave the boy a nudge and a "Stiles!"

Stiles shrugged, unconcerned. "As long as _someone_ understands the ramifications of sexual harassment. Or, more likely, assault."

Cora couldn't stop a laugh from escaping at the scandalized and annoyed look on Derek's face. It was obvious his libido was arguing with his common sense at that comment and Stiles' smirk proved he knew that as well.

Scott, meanwhile, just looked vaguely uninterested. "C'mon, let's go."

They exited and Derek caught Cora's eye, glaring at her smile. A minute later, Peter entered and immediately came over to Cora's table.

"I didn't think you'd actually be here." He sat.

She raised an eyebrow.

"Derek was vague," was his only explanation. "What _are_ you doing here?"

Good to know Peter was still the same as always. "Same thing as you, probably."

Peter's smile never failed to be a little creepy and on the pedophilic side. "Derek's little fledgling romance has made very little headway, I'm afraid."

"You know he ran into Deucalion, right?"

Peter's smile turned brittle. "I'm sure Deucalion regrets that decision."

Cora felt satisfaction at that comment. She'd gladly team up with Peter against Deucalion but had no doubts that he could handle it himself. Derek was right in that Peter's more devious side could be entertained by challenging Deucalion. There was something fundamentally corrupt in each of them that clashed each time they met. Cora liked to pretend it had nothing to do with an equal interest in Derek.

"Are you living with him?"

She rolled her eyes. "Unfortunately. He had to clean out the guest bedroom."

"Ah, yes…" Peter turned to Derek, who was approaching them, a different person Cora didn't recognize already behind the counter. Probably a shift change that was a bit late. "Derek's _obsession_. One of them, anyway."

"You're not one to talk," Derek returned. "Can we go?"

"Sure," Cora answered, standing.

 

\--

 

Nothing much happened for a few weeks, which made Derek both nervous and relieved. He felt as though something indefinable was building, some climax that had to be reached at some point. Like looking into the sun, he was blinded by this bright light until he ran smack into whatever it was. He suspected that was because both Cora and Peter were now in his life and, more importantly, knew about his - knew about Scott. He couldn't really define what he felt for him.

Not…really. Ok, maybe a little. It wasn't a _crush_ because that was the kind of thing you got in middle school, or when acne still covered your face. But he wasn't quite ready to call it love either. It was just this pull, this tug, towards Scott that he couldn't let himself sink into. Like coming home after a long vacation. It was all so familiar it _hurt_ and Derek knew the scenery, recognized the rooms but fucking refused to live there again.

Shit, his analogies really needed work.

To his surprise, the inevitable beginning of the end, or maybe the end of the beginning, came through no meddling on Peter and Cora's part. Which, thinking back on it, was nothing short of embarrassing.

Derek had this thing for animals.

To be honest, it was more than a little weird. He supposed it was some way to fill the hole in his heart or some other therapist sounding bullshit but really it just gave him something to do. He found it hard to linger on anything when he was taking care of cats, dogs, various reptiles, birds, fish, and other animals that had made their way into his home. He figured since his house was too big for one person anyway, he might as well share it. Most of the animals he housed came from the local animal shelter, where he spent a lot of his free time working. Well, not working, volunteering.

How was he supposed to know Scott was getting a puppy?

Seeing him outside of work was a shock, like an electric jolt that cut through to his muscles and stopped him in his tracks. Having Scott's eyes turn to him, in his crappy red t-shirt and jeans, made his palms start sweating and _goddamit_ he was _not_ nervous. There was nothing wrong with what he was doing.

He would've laughed at Scott's expression if he hadn't already been practically running for the door.

He figured, that was it, one sighting and Scott wouldn't bring it up. No reason to, after all. In Scott's eyes he was still an epic jerk no doubt. But to his astonishment Scott turned to him not three days later and said, "I saw you at the humane society."

"…yeah," and it was a miracle his voice didn't shake.

Scott seemed confused. "You work there?"

"Sometimes." He hated himself so much right now.

But Scott didn't seem put off at all. In fact he seemed a little pleased. "That's cool. I was thinking about getting a dog. You have any pets?"

"…a few." Wasn't that an understatement.

"Like what?" Now the look was _expectant_. Derek had never expected Scott ask him questions, ever, not even at the beginning when he hadn't totally ruined his chances. He'd never actually thought about what being in a relationship with Scott would be like. He was pretty sure that made him a bad person or something but thinking about Scott was like blasphemy in his mind. Scott was more of this undertone, a background presence that could never be ignored but never really came up. It was just _there_ , like air or the ground or the darkness.

Derek debated lying. It didn't seem worth it. He had trouble following through with lies anyway, unless they were to himself.

"Two kittens, two older cats, two puppies, four older dogs, a gecko, a bearded dragon, three hamsters, a rat, a ferret, two guinea pigs, two cockatrices, three finches, a turtle, and three aquariums."

"…damn." Scott's face looked like it was debating between incredulous and disbelieving. "You - you're serious?"

Derek shrugged. It _did_ seem kinda bad when he listed it out like that.

"Why?"

He blinked, not expecting that question. "Uh, it - keeps me busy."

"You spend all your time taking care of pets?"

Well, that or convincing Peter to stop bothering him, or getting rid of Deucalion, or convincing himself there was something out there worth getting out of bed for, or working at the shelter, or shivering through nightmares. "Mostly."

Scott frowned. "There's got to be something else you do."

For some reason this made Derek laugh. Here was this fresh faced _kid_ trying to think the best of him, trying to give him a life when he had none. Scott was so willing to see the best in people Derek wondered if he could ever explain how fucked up he was without scarring him forever.

He persisted. "What about Peter?"

"My uncle?"

"He's your _uncle_?"

"Yeah." Derek's lips turned down. "Who did you think he was?"

"I dunno. Your brother, or best friend, or something."

Derek shuddered at the second guess. " _Definitely_ not."

"And the girl?"

"Cora. My sister."

"You have any other family?"

That question sent a lance through Derek's chest. "…no."

Scott seemed to sense the unspoken plea. "I guess I thought - " He paused.

"What?"

He shrugged, uncomfortable. "I thought you were - you know."

"No, I don't."

"Never mind."

An awkward silence fell. Scott looked like he was on the verge of saying something more but finally he just turned away, back to the counter, and they were back to their usual procedures.

The whole experience felt a bit surreal to Derek. He supposed he should feel ecstatic or delighted or some other cutesy verb but he just felt…better. More grounded. Like this disjointed reality was only confirmed when Scott was around, when Scott was _talking_ to him. It was pathetic and amazing and, for once, Derek wished he didn't totally suck at social interactions.

Scott seemed preoccupied for the rest of his shift and Derek didn't really blame him.

"You live around here, right?" Was Scott talking to him _again_?

This day was bizarre. "Yeah." He couldn't keep the 'obviously' tone out of his voice. Where else would he live?

"Mmm."

Derek had the fleeting thought that maybe Scott thought he lived in a cave somewhere, and really, it wasn't that much a stretch. Caves had all sorts of nice things like no people.

"I was just wondering - if you wanted to hang out sometime."

Derek was sure he was staring but he couldn't help himself. _Scott_ was asking _him_ …to _hang out_. He opened his mouth then slowly closed it. "…why?"

Now Scott was staring at him. "So we can get to know each other better…?" It wasn't really a question but it came out as one because now they were both confused.

"Yeah. All right. Sure." Hanging out with Scott sounded…

"Ok. When are you free?"

Really the question should be when was _Scott_ free since Derek didn't do much of anything with his life. "How about tomorrow after your shift?"

Scott smiled. "Dinner and a movie?"

Did he realize it sounded like a date? That made his heart thump a bit faster and Derek felt disgusted by that fact. He wasn't some hormonal teenager. Wait, didn't Scott have a girlfriend? "Sounds good."

"All right!" Scott pulled off his apron, smiling. "I'll see you tomorrow then."

"…tomorrow."

 

\--

 

Scott had no idea what to make of Derek.

He seemed nice enough at first, when he'd gone in for his interview. And he was certainly grateful that Derek gave him the job so quickly, even though he'd had no other experience. He knew how tough it was on his mom, taking care of him by herself, and he'd wanted to help her out a bit. He figured working part time during high school would be a good way to accomplish that goal.

During the interview Derek had looked at him - strangely. Scott would almost say _creepily_ but that wasn't quite it. More… _intense_. Derek had this focus that sent tingles down Scott's spine. It was like he could ignore all other distractions, ignore the world around him, and focus in on a single idea, a single person, and for the few minutes he'd been that person -

Derek was a bit intimidating, too. That dark scowl, the shadows around his eyes, his looming figure - it all contributed to a person who was used to pushing others around.

And yet, he didn't seem like a _bad_ person even if all the signs pointed to that. Scott liked to think he was a pretty good judge of character - Stiles was a prime example of that - and Derek didn't quite fit in his mind as someone cruel, or harsh, or wanting to harm others for no reason other than his own pleasure.

All the evidence, however, pointed against him. Especially after that time he'd watched him _punch a blind guy for no apparent reason_. He'd pretty much avoided him on principal after that. He hoped that maybe he was seeing a therapist or something, since it was obvious he had some anger issues, but he didn't seem the type to share his problems with others. Yet he'd never lashed out at his employees or the customers or let his anger off its leash (except for that one time) and had seemed carefully controlled, a tight tension, wound taut beneath the surface of his skin but unwilling to release himself.

So, yeah, Scott had been curious about the mystery that his boss presented (the random cryptic comments and smirks from Stiles hadn't helped much) but it felt safer, easier, to let the distance between them grow.

Then he ran into him at the animal shelter.

It had been the weirdest thing, ever, well, not ever, especially when you hang out with Stiles, but it was right up there. Seeing Derek standing there, surrounding by yipping and meowing and families with kids laughing at the animals, looking completely at home in the shelter's issued polo, except for the mildly terrified look on his face, like he'd been caught doing something he shouldn't be doing.

And all that curiosity that Scott had resolutely shoved down deep inside rose back up like a storm breaking over a levee.

Scott hadn't expected Derek to answer his questions so easily and he'd been even more surprised when the other had agreed to hang out. He felt strangely excited about tomorrow evening. Finally a chance to figure out just who Derek _was_.

And, maybe, what had turned Derek into that person in the first place.

 

\--

 

"Where do you want to eat?" Scott asked.

Derek rolled his eyes, still disbelieving Scott was standing next to him on the sidewalk willingly. "Not many choices." The town had a fast food place and a family diner.

"Ok, then, is the diner ok?"

"Sure."

Scott stretched as they began walking down the street. "Did you always live here?"

 _Getting to know you_. Derek was a bit rusty but he was pretty sure this was smack in date territory. "No." Realizing he should probably expand, he continued, "I moved here about two years ago. After…after I lived New York."

"Why'd you leave New York?"

Derek knew that question was coming and still his instinct was to get angry, to deflect the pain with the simmering heat inside of him. He took a deep breath to push back that reaction. He felt, in the core of his being, he had to convince Scott that he wasn't a total and utter jerk tonight. "My sister, Laura, she died in a car accident. I didn't want to live in New York after that."

"I'm sorry," and Scott sounded utterly sincere. Derek was surprised to realize that he didn't want to punch him in the face, which was his usual response when someone offered any sort of pity or condolences. "My father left us a while ago. He's not dead but…gone." He shrugged. "I know it's not the same but it still really hurts, mostly because of how torn up my mom is about it."

Derek wasn't really sure why he was opening up so quickly but he was surprised to find such a painful experience in Scott's past. He nodded, unsure of what to say in response.

Scott seemed to accept his silence and smiled. "Why'd you buy a coffee shop? You don't seem the type to."

"No," Derek felt a smile pulling at his face, "I'm not. It just…gave me something to do."

Scott looked at him curiously. "Do you ever do anything you _want_ to do?"

Derek frowned. "What makes you think I don't want to own a coffee shop?"

"Not just that…every time I ask why you do something, you say you did it to keep busy or something. You never say it's because you enjoy it."

Derek had to take a moment to think about that. What _did_ he enjoy?

He supposed, to a certain degree, he actually _did_ like taking care of his animals. The realization was a bit surprising. He'd essentially collected them like other people collected books or souvenirs. Other volunteers in the shelter had been bemoaning one animal or another had been penned up too long in their cages so Derek just…took it home. It didn't seem like that much of a bother at the time. Then one turned into two, and then more, until his house had been cordoned off by animals and his sister sat grumbling into her cereal at the raucous noise in his house that Derek had grown used to.

The fact that they took up so much of his time that he barely had time to _think_ was a happy coincidence.

He liked exercising. There was something refreshing about the deep muscle ache after a nice, long workout, the sweat sticking to his body, his heart racing and drumming in his ears. It was gut wrenchingly, horrifying _real_ yet somehow, for those minutes, it was all right to be alive. Working towards something, letting himself see an end - if only a small goal - gave him a temporary respite from the nothingness that had consumed his life.

In that end, he had to admit he liked the coffee shop for the same reason. It made him get up, made him acknowledge reality, made him put effort into something other than wallowing.

And…there was always Scott.

"I like the shop," he found himself answering. "I like to…take care of things." His brows pulled together. "No, I…" He scrubbed a hand over his forehead. Dammit.

Scott laughed. "Hey, it's ok. Words are hard."

Derek shook his head but couldn't stop a smile. "Haven't really hung out with anyone for awhile."

"Really? A social guy like you?" Scott raised an eyebrow.

Derek could see the sarcasm from a mile away. "The parties on the weekends tire me out," he deadpanned and was rewarded with another laugh.

"I can imagine. The disco ball must've been expensive."

"I'm not _that_ old."

"Well how old are you?"

"I'm 23."

" _Really?_ "

Scott looked so stunned that Derek snorted. "Really. How old did you _think_ I was?"

"Uh, I guess I…never really thought about it."

"Be honest. I can take it," he added dryly.

"Ok, ok…uhm, I thought you were in your 30s." Scott looked a bit sheepish at this confession.

Derek shrugged. He didn't really care how old people thought he was. He didn't even really care about how old he really was. Age was just a way of people to count down to something they couldn't face and came with too many labels.

"So wait, did you go to college?"

"No."

Scott let out a sigh. "Man, I'm jealous. My mom's already making me look at colleges. I'm only a junior! I don't wanna think about that stuff yet."

Derek resolutely pushed down the disgustingly predictable twinge he felt at Scott moving away and even more steadfastly ignored the abject _and totally uncalled for_ irrational urge to panic at the thought of not being able to see Scott whenever he wanted. "Your future's important," he pointed out quietly then suddenly realized that Scott was still in high school and therefore technically jailbait.

Why had it taken his conscious mind this long to figure out that inconvenient little fact? Not that Derek was planning on pinning him to a wall or anything (though he wasn't _opposed_ to the idea) but that made his already slightly creepy obsession with Scott a little more creepier. Not to mention that just threw in another reason for Scott to be totally and utterly turned off by his advances, if he ever got around to making any.

Derek wondered if he could live with being 'just friends' with Scott, then realized they'd have to get to the 'friend' stage to find out.

Scott nudged his shoulder as Derek pulled himself out of his thoughts. He glanced over, a bit startled at the action, to watch Scott link his hands behind his head. "I know that. And I know she wants the best for me. It's just weird. Like, where did my life go?"

Derek laughed. "Stop talking like you're dying."

He stuck his tongue out in retaliation. "But after college I'll have to get a job…"

"You have a job," Derek felt obligated to point out.

"I guess," and did he mean he didn't like working at the coffee shop? Derek couldn't blame him, especially viewing the few months from Scott's point of view. Not to mention Peter, how could anyone like a job where they had to see Peter, let alone talk to him on a regular basis?

Scott was still going. "I mean, it doesn't feel like work a lot of the time. Because everyone who comes in I know and my friends are always there to pick me up afterwards. It's more like hanging out while I get to make coffee." He looked over and smiled. "I really like working there. Thanks for hiring me."

Derek was pretty sure he was supposed to respond with something positive, maybe about how Scott was a hard worker or had lots of friends or some meaningless comment like that, but his mouth was (almost) the most honest part of his body. "I need you there." …shit.

But Scott, innocent, naïve Scott, accepted the compliment/truth at face value and grinned broadly. "Thanks! Does this mean I get a raise?"

"Maybe."

He whooped, pumping a fist in the air. "That's all it took?"

"Getting to know your boss can be very beneficial," and Derek had no idea how he'd managed to say that without letting his voice drop. Goddammit, he knew Peter had rubbed off.

One side of Scott's lips pulled up in a lop sided smile. "Yeah. I feel silly for waiting this long."

Derek paused to pull open the door to the diner and hold it for Scott.

As they settled into their seats, Derek replied, "I hate to think what your previous impression of me was."

Scott let out an awkward laugh. "Yeah, it wasn't good. I was so confused when you spilled that coffee on me. You remember that? When you walked away Peter had the creepiest look on his face too, then he smiled at me…" He shuddered slightly. "It was super freaky."

"I can imagine," Derek muttered, who had been on the receiving end of that expression more times than he liked to remember. Not to mention Peter had already known his - intentions? Feelings? - towards Scott at that point, which had made his deviousness soar to previously untested heights. The bastard.

"But since he's your creepy uncle I guess I understand."

Derek had no idea what exactly that meant. Was every family somehow obligated to have a creepy uncle? He doubted it, since he'd never met anyone quite the same level of creepy as Peter.

"Uhm, I mean - can I ask about - when you punched that guy…?"

Derek let out a sigh, scrubbing a hand through his hair. "That was…his name's Deucalion. He's my stalker."

"Your _what?_ "

"He's been following me around since high school. He was obsessed with my mother before and then he just turned his attention to me. He followed me and Laura to New York where she made me get a restraining order but it didn't really help. I think he has influence over some high up cops or something. Anyway, he comes by every now and then to bother me. I wasn't having a very good day and seeing his face made me punch him."

Scott was looking at him with wide eyes, so Derek tried to reassure him. "I don't see him that much, mostly he keeps to himself or Peter keeps him away."

"That's horrible!" he finally blurted out. "You should tell someone. He should be in jail!"

Derek was quite taken aback with Scott's vehement response. Sure, Deucalion was a pain in the ass, but he wasn't _that_ much of a problem. Maybe years of Peter had made Deucalion's sly comments have less of an effect.

"It's not…" he tried vaguely but Scott interrupted.

"You shouldn't have to put up with that! Has he ever tried to hurt you?"

A shrug. "A few times. I learned self-defense which put an end to that."

"How can you treat this like it's not a big deal?" Scott demanded. "What if he hurts someone else? Someone that you can't protect? Like your sister?"

 _Scott_. His fist clenched, Deucalion's words ringing in his ears. He took a slow, deep breath.

"He won't." _I won't let him_.

"You can't stop him though," Scott pointed out, watching him.

Derek narrowed his eyes. "Why do you care?" He didn’t want Scott to know about Deucalion. He didn't want the two of them anywhere near each other. Even thinking about the two of them together made his stomach churn. He'd told Scott about him because he wanted to tell the truth, knew Scott would appreciate a more honest effort than any other approach. But that didn't mean he wanted Scott to have intimate knowledge about the blind man.

"Because he's hurting you," Scott answered. "And because you clearly don't care enough."

Derek leaned back. "…yeah. Maybe." He glanced away.

Scott sighed, his lips twisting, clearly sensing an end to that line of conversation. Before he could say anything else, a waitress hurried up to them.

"Sorry about the delay, we're swamped," she apologized, though the diner did not look particularly full. "What'll you have to drink?"

The rest of the evening went much better, at least by Derek's standards. He absorbed the information Scott dropped and stored it carefully away, each piece another part of the puzzle that he ached to complete. He answered questions when he could, honestly if he felt like it, avoiding others, some things still to raw for him to talk about. Scott seemed to sense his hesitance and never pried, usually steering the conversation away into less delicate topics.

By the time he said goodbye and walked back to his car, he felt strangely light and couldn't stop a smile.

 

\--

 

"I'm just saying, if he makes any passes at you, don't hesitate to punch him in the dick."

Scott rolled his eyes.

He had no idea what kind of relationship Stiles thought he had with Derek, or at least, he didn't until he'd actually started talking with Derek. His best friend had seemed oddly supportive of his choice to avoid Derek, something which didn't surprise Scott at all as Stiles was a little (a lot) protective of him, not to mention unwilling to share. He'd been particularly annoying when he'd started dating Allison, bemoaning the movie marathons and lacrosse practice he'd supposedly missed out on when he was out with Allison, once showing up at three in the morning to yell up at his window. Yet he'd been a good friend, his _best_ friend, in the end, knowing how happy Allison had made Scott, if only for a little while. They both realized something was missing and were more than happy to drop the 'romantic' part of their relationship, still staying fast friends. Stiles had warmed to her more after that and after learning about the secret comic collection she kept stored in her basement.

Really, you could say life was pretty great right now. He had an awesome job, a great group of friends, school was going along smoothly, Coach Finstock had only yelled at them for five minutes this week instead of the usual twenty.

And…Derek.

Scott didn't really listen or believe the not so thinly veiled hints he'd realized Stiles dropped at every possible opportunity. Stiles seemed to think Derek was lusting after him, or maybe that the other wanted to kidnap Scott and lock him up in his basement to have his dirty way with him, he wasn't really sure. In any case, the end result was an increasingly suspicious Stiles as Scott spent more and more of his free time with Derek, not to mention the bantering conversation that sometimes took place during work. Putting up with the complaints and brochures of karate pamphlets was getting a little old.

Because, oddly enough, Scott _liked_ Derek. Not like, _like_ like, or, well, not that he felt the same way about him as he did with Allison at the beginning. But Derek was this solid, reassuring presence, so _real_. He had a dry, cracking sense of humor underneath his fierce exterior, and he tried so hard to keep everyone away that Scott often wondered why he'd been included in his exclusive circle. Making friends with Derek was more than just interesting, and fun, it was - easy. Normal. Soothing, even.

"I'm not going to punch him anywhere, Stiles."

"Probably good, he'd likely see that as turn on. You want me to buy some pepper spray?"

"Why do you hate him so much?" Scott asked, exasperated.

Stiles paused the game they were playing to glance over. "Dude, are you dumber than a brick? It's so obvious he likes you. And frankly I don't want his grimy fingers anywhere near you."

"He doesn't like me like that. Maybe you could try to get to know him instead of accusing him of things."

"Someone has to be the bad guy here and if it has to be me, fine. Scott, Derek is your Lex Luthor."

"He wants to kill me?" Scott thought. "I can't imagine Derek bald."

"See!" Stiles pointed an accusing finger. "He's just trying to catch you off guard! You think he's all nice and cuddly and then…bam! All of sudden he's raping you in the break room!"

"Uhm, Lex Luthor never tried to rape Superman."

"Semantics!"

Scott leaned over and hit the pause button on Stiles' controller, ignoring his complaints and frantic button pushing as the game started back up.

He loved Stiles like a brother, there was no doubt of that, but he didn't want to think about Derek and sex and other things that involved Derek's admittedly fit body.

The scary thing about it was that thinking about it…wasn't scary.

 

\--

 

"That's my house," Derek said with a gesture.

"…wow." Scott craned his neck up. "Is it…three stories?"

"Yeah, but the top floor's pretty small."

"Still. There's a window up there."

"Yeah," Derek agreed with amusement, "there is."

"How did you afford it?"

As soon as he said it Derek's face became shuttered, the expression Scott had quickly associated with his 'dark and lonely past'. "…it's my family's."

"Your family's house?"

"No. Their money." Derek continued up the path ahead and busied himself with the lock, clearly reluctant to say more.

When he opened the door, there was a sudden eruption of noise and Scott blinked at the blur of colors.

"C'mon. They don't bite. They just get excited at visitors."

"There's a _gate_?"

Just inside the door was a waist high gate that boxed into the door. Derek waited until Scott had come completely inside before shutting the front door.

"Helps makes sure none of them escape," Derek explained as he took his shoes. "And this way my shoes stay in one piece for longer than a day."

"That's…smart."

"Don't sound so surprised." Once both their shoes were off, Derek slid through the gate with Scott close behind only to get assaulted by three animals at once. Scott wasn't immune to the animal love as a large golden retriever barked happily and almost knocked him over. He obliged the animal by giving it - him? - a good petting before glancing over at Derek.

The other was crouched down, vigorously messing up a dog's fur with his right hand while gently petting a cat with the other hand. Scott was startled to watch him give out a soft laugh as a kitten nosed its way through the collection of creatures and started up a plaintive mewing.

"Yes, yes," and Derek picked up the small black and white kitten with a tenderness he wasn't even aware Derek possessed. When Derek glanced over at him, Scott had to tear his eyes away.

"For the love of god, Derek, keep those beasts under control!" came a sudden shout. "How am I supposed to sleep with all that racket?"

"It's three in the afternoon, maybe you should get your lazy ass out of bed," Derek retorted without missing a beat.

There was a pause then, "Some of the world keeps different hours than you - "

Scott glanced up to see Cora paused on the stairs, her hair messy and her eyes a bit bloodshot, squinting curiously. "You didn't tell me we have company."

"You didn't ask. Too busy sleeping, remember?"

"Shut it." The answer was almost absent minded as she studied Scott with an intensity that was bordering on uncomfortable. "Nice to see he finally worked up enough balls to invite you over."

"Uh…yeah."

When Scott glanced over at Derek, he was scowling, although the kitten kneading his shoulders kind of ruined the effect of the expression.

"Whatever," she finally said, although Scott had the feeling he'd passed some sort of test. "Make yourself at home, Scott. Well, as much as you can with all the critters."

"Right. Thanks." Scott let his eyes slide back over to Derek. "So, you gonna give me a tour?"

Hours later, Scott's mind was reeling at the number of rooms and pets Derek's house held.

"This place is crazy. You take care of all of them?"

"Yeah."

"Doesn't Cora help?"

Derek shrugged. "Sometimes. She only got here a few months ago though." He opened yet another door. "And this is my bedroom."

"Oh…" Scott peered inside, intensely curious. The room was plain enough, with a simple bed, a night stand, and a TV against one wall. A laptop sat on nightstand next to a lamp and a few clothes were scattered on the ground. The colors were muted shades of grey and blue and mostly covered with various animal hairs.

"I should vacuum," Derek said, squinting into the room. A soft mew from beneath the bed startled Scott.

"I thought you showed me all your pets?"

"Oh that's just Justine. She's really shy, she only comes out at night if it's just me in the room. The rest of the time she stays under the bed."

Scott grinned. "Did you name her?"

Derek rolled his eyes. "No, I didn't. She came with the name. Most of my pets are from the shelter."

Scott shook his head. "I still can't believe you take care of all of them. All those toys and food…must be expensive."

Derek walked slowly over to his bed and stared down at it. "Look," he said quietly, his back to Scott, his shoulders hunched, "I…if I tell you what happened, don't behave…differently."

Scott frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"My family. They died. Awhile ago. In a fire. My…" He swallowed thickly, then went on in a monotone. "My girlfriend, Kate, she was an arsonist. She was only dating me to scope out my house. She barred the doors and windows and burned down the house while Cora and I were at school. Peter was the only one who survived and he was in a coma for years. Laura was visiting a friend in a neighboring town. Kate went to jail but…"

It just felt natural for Scott to wrap his arms around Derek from behind. The taller man stiffened then relaxed, sighing, the muscles undulating under Scott's hands.

Scott bit his lip. "…I'm sorry."

Derek laughed lowly, coldly. "Me too."

"You didn't deserve that."

The silence was answer enough.

"You didn't," Scott insisted, pressing his forehead into that broad back. "It wasn't your fault."

"…you're too good for me." It was low, so low Scott was sure he wasn't supposed to hear it, but he did anyway and his heart broke a little.

He tapped Derek's back lightly with his forehead. "Hey, don't look so down. You've got kittens."

Another laugh, this one more honest and less dark. "True."

"…thanks for telling me."

This time, Derek pulled out of his embrace and turned around, his eyes dry and the creases around his eyes a little smoother. He placed a hand on Scott's shoulder and squeezed lightly, and Scott could feel the apology and thankfulness and acceptance as Derek's hand slid down his arm before dropping back to his side.

"C'mon," the other said, moving past him to the door, "you must be hungry."

After a surprisingly good dinner (Scott realized Derek had to be able to cook since he'd lived alone for awhile, but it still felt kind of weird to realize he could do everyday things with a high level of proficiency), Scott was lounging into the living room (one of three, anyways), idly flipping through channels as Derek cleaned up. He stood and went to ask if Derek needed any help when he heard, "Did you tell him what happened in Beacon Hills?"

Scott paused. He knew it was wrong to eavesdrop but the opportunity to hear Derek talk about himself, about Scott, was too good to pass up and Scott's steps slowed then halted.

"Yeah, I told him."

"That wasn't so bad was it?"

"…I guess not."

"Does he think you're a freak?"

Scott wondered what it said about him that he could actually hear Derek's smile. "Probably."

"That's because you are, so that's for the best." A pause. "Are you going to…?"

"…what?"

"Are you going to tell him how you _really_ feel?"

"I'm not planning on it, no."

Cora sighed. "Derek, if you don't tell him then how will you ever get anywhere with him?"

"That's not what I want." Derek's tone was firm.

"No?" Cora was obviously skeptical.

"I just - want him to be around. He doesn't have to like me…like that. I don't want to make things strange between us."

Cora laughed quietly. "You are such a teenage girl. Where's my big bad brother?"

"Leaving you to do the dishes."

"Rude!" came the call and Scott hastily moved back to the couch, pretending he'd been there the entire time.

He wasn't entirely sure he pulled off the casual look as Derek eyed him suspiciously for a few moments before saying dryly, "Comfortable?"

"Only if there's dessert."

"How needy." But Derek moved back into the kitchen and came back out with a plateful of cookies. He grabbed one and they both munched contentedly for a few minutes.

"Thanks," Scott suddenly offered.

Derek shrugged. "They were going stale anyway."

"No - I meant - thanks for letting me come over.  It was fun. I liked meeting all your pets."

Derek seemed to absorb this for a few minutes.

"Anytime," was his final answer, and Scott smiled.

 

\--

 

Scott thought it'd feel weird, now that he knew Stiles was right (about liking him, not about the rape part).

But nothing changed. Or at least, nothing changed between Derek and Scott. They hung out. They talked. They went to movies. He learned that Derek's favorite color was black (not surprising), his favorite food was tiramisu (a little surprising), and he spoke fluent Russian and Spanish (actually surprising). They became acquaintances, then friends, then more than friends, and now they were so close he couldn't even say what they were. He still hung out with Allison and Stiles, of course, and sometimes all four of them did things together, but Scott still liked it best when it was just Derek and him.

Because that was the thing. Derek acted the same, talked the same, behaved the same, as though nothing had changed. Yet the information Scott now knew changed everything.

He'd never thought about Derek… _that way_ , even with all of Stiles' hints, until he'd overheard the conversation between Cora and Derek. Now, it was all he _could_ think about. What would Derek be like, if they were (gulp) dating? He couldn't imagine the other being romantic, but he had a soft side that Scott knew he preferred to keep hidden. What would his hands feel like against his skin? He knew the other was fit, as he'd seen him in nothing but swim trunks, had punched or slapped his arm playfully more than once, each touch now searing.

All right, so maybe part of his thoughts were his hormonal teenager side taking over. And Scott didn't even like to admit it in his mind but - sometimes - he wondered…

…what it would be like to _kiss_ Derek.

Scott knew that, whatever happened, it would be up to him. Derek had made it clear that, while he was interested, he wasn't going to push those interests on him or even let Scott know about them. Scott wasn't sure if it was because Derek was afraid of a relationship or afraid of rejection (or both) but it boiled down to one thing: if Scott wanted things to move past 'friends' between him and Derek he'd have to be the one to do something about it.

He looked up from his position at the counter, frowning a little as Peter walked in, announced by the chime. Derek had been coming in regularly now, always parallel with Scott's shift, and had yet to miss a day without a legitimate reason beforehand. But he hadn't seen him all day and he'd been working since five pm, which was about four hours ago. He'd asked the earlier shift as he switched off and they confirmed he hadn't been in at all today. It made a weird itch start between Scott's shoulder blades, not knowing where Derek was or why he was missing.

"Where's Derek?" he asked as Peter came behind the counter.

The other man gave him a slow once over, as though evaluating the quality of his question. "Sulking at home," he finally answered.

"Sulking? Why?"

Peter frowned and it sent the hairs on the back of Scott's neck into the air. The other's eyes lowered unconsciously. "…it's a very important date for us."

Scott's brows furrowed at that enigmatic line. Looking a bit closer, he could see signs of exhaustion in Peter's stance, just a slightly lowering of his usual impeccable posture and a few red lines in his eyes. Why would he say 'us'?

He continued to puzzle over it as Peter moved past him, into the break room, from where he emerged only a minute later, something tucked under his arm. It was clear he was simply going to leave again as he began strolling towards the door, and Scott called out a bit desperately, "Wait! Is he - I mean, are you…ok?"

Peter's glance back was cutting and sharp. There was something in his eyes that Scott had never seen before, a bone weary sorrow that somehow made Scott think of Derek. "No. No, we're not ok." And with that, he walked out the door.

Scott swallowed thickly. What on earth could cause Peter and Derek so much suffering? Why this one specific day, as opposed to any other? Did something important happened today that Scott didn't know about, something horrible…?

…oh. _Oh._

He practically ripped off his apron. Isaac, a friend of his who was working the shift with him, looked alarmed as Scott shoved the clothing into his arms. "Woah, Scott, what's up?"

"Uhm…" How could he explain that he had this _urge_ to be with Derek, right now, on a day that had haunted him for years?  That if he didn't confirm Derek's existence soon, Scott would feel as though he'd somehow failed the other? "Can you cover my shift for a bit?"

"What? Like, right now?"

"Yeah, please," and maybe he sounded a bit desperate there because Isaac looked at him with wide eyes and asked, "Is everything all right?"

No, everything was not all right. "Yeah, I just need to go do something. Right now."

"Oh - ok. Yeah, sure. Go…do your thing."

"Thanks!" he called as he ran out of the coffee shop.

 

\--

 

He suddenly wondered if this was a good idea.

The house was dark but Derek's car was parked in the driveway. He could practically feel Derek's 'fuck off' aura coming in waves from the house. How the man could emanate it from a house, Scott didn't know, but he could feel the message loud and clear.

_Stay away._

He tried to remember if Derek had been acting odd yesterday, but nothing in particular came to mind. Then again, there was nothing Derek was better at then hiding his problems, hiding his pain and sorrows, and pushing people away as far as he could. He wasn't sure yet if it was a conscious act or not, but Derek was careful to keep most people on a long, long leash.

Scott swallowed thickly. This felt like a turning point. If he entered, something would change. He couldn't say what yet or even how, but _something_ would be different.

How could he _not_ enter? How could he leave Derek in there, _today_?

It didn't feel like an option. It _wasn't_ an option.

He couldn't leave Derek alone, and Scott supposed that answered the question. A question. Some question.

He walked quickly up to the door, stealing himself, forcing his slightly shaking hand to raise and knock on the door. It felt wrong somehow to ring the doorbell, with the solemn and quiet atmosphere that was settled over the house.

He wasn't sure if anyone would answer, so he was surprised as Cora opened the door only after a few moments where his heart thudded steadily in his ears.

She stared.

Scott cleared his throat awkwardly. "Uhm…hi."

Then, as those his words had broken her, her face broke into a strained and slightly terrified smile. It grew as she covered her face with a hand and began to laugh, low, tight, desperate.

"You're _here_ ," she said at the end of it, as though that were the most amazing thing in the world. "Did he ask you to come?"

 _Derek._ "Uh, no, I - I ran into Peter…and he was kind of vague but I - I pieced together…what today was."

Cora pulled her hand away from her face. Her smile this time was more genuine. "Ok. He's upstairs. Second floor, third door on the right."

"Ok. Thanks. Uhm, are you - ?"

She shook her head. "You're not here for me, Scott. Besides, unlike that big idiot, I can actually handle my emotions somewhat."

Scott could only manage a nod as she let him in.

He was surprised that no animals attacked him as he went into the house. He glanced around but, not seeing any, decided to leave that mystery until after he saw Derek.

As he went up the stairs, though, he finally began to hear sounds. As he rounded the corner and neared the door, he realized the noises were high pitched mews interspersed with random yips.

He didn't bother knocking but instead opened the door without hesitation.

It took his eyes a moment to adjust to the darkened room. His eyes were drawn to a glint, several actually, that were bright in the light spilling from the hallway. Several pairs of eyes were looking at him and Scott blinked before he realized what he was seeing.

Derek was sitting on the floor, back against the wall, legs stretched out in front of him. A kitten perched precariously on his shoulder, giving Scott one of the mews he'd heard from down the hallway. Another kitten was batting at a shoelace that was still dangling in midair, while two puppies were off to the side, tussling with each other.

There was a deafening silence.

Without a word, Scott closed the door behind him. Then, careful to avoid the small animals, Scott stepped over to Derek and sank down onto the floor beside him, so close their shoulders were flush. The kitten that was on Derek's shoulder cautiously migrated over to Scott, the weight almost non-existent.

Derek silently wiggled the shoelace, the temporarily confused kitten thrilled to have a moving target again. Scott let his gaze wander over to the other man but it was impossible to completely see his features in the darkness.

"Pathetic, huh."

Derek's voice was low and a bit scratchy. Scott's jaw clenched as he thought of how many ways he could mess this up.

"…small, cute animals make everyone feel better," was what he responded with. He couldn't stop himself from tacking on, "I was worried about you."

"You were?" The question was bitter.

"Yeah, I was. If Peter hadn't come in I never would've…" He trailed off slightly. He felt a brief twinge of anger that he had to learn from _Peter_ about this, of all people, but impatiently shook it off.

"He asked you to come, then."

Scott couldn't stop a snort at that. "No way. Besides, even if he did, I wouldn't have come for him. I would've come for you. Because…you need me."

Slowly, Derek lowered his arm. The kitten meowed, pawing the shoelace out of his slack hand.

"You need me," Scott repeated. It wasn't a question. Not anymore.

Derek's head tilted back, hit the wall. "…yeah."

"That's ok," Scott said, wondering why he felt so confident and sure all of a sudden. "I need you, too."

He could see Derek's head turn in the darkness, could feel the weight of his stare.

"I know how you feel about me. It's…" He couldn't stop a frustrated sound.

"Words are hard," Derek advised, quietly. Scott smiled at the phrase.

"…right." Scott turned, reached out until he found Derek's other shoulder, pulled him closer. Derek came without resistance, pliant, one of his hands steadying itself on Scott's hip, the skin warm even through his t-shirt. Scott slid his hand up, cupping the back of Derek's neck, pulling them closer, until -

The first try wasn't so good. It was dark and even though his intentions were obvious, Scott sensed that Derek was surprised by his actions. The attempt was sloppy, a bit off direction, a touch awkward.

The second try was much better. Derek slotted their mouths together with something akin to a feverish intensity, seeking, demanding, lips soft and warm, hand on Scott's hip tightening. The insistent press was breath taking, forward, _Derek_.

When they pulled away, Derek didn't remove his hand from Scott. The teenager let his forehead rest gently on Derek's, the gesture feeling strangely intimate.

"Are you sure?" Derek's question was low. It was obvious he didn't want to ask but he desperately needed an answer.

Scott laughed. "You want an answer after the kiss?"

"Not really."

"Lucky for you, my answer's still yes. You may not believe me, but you're awesome. Really. And I - I've realized that I want to be with you. Maybe not forever, I don't know yet. But I want to give it a try."

Derek shivered in his grasp. "Thank you."

Scott pulled the older man closer, feeling those strong arms wrap around him. "I'm - I'm sorry for your loss."

Derek's head dropped onto his shoulder.

Scott's fingers curled into the cloth and he closed his eyes, the embrace comforting and firm.

 

\--

 

"Wait. Don't you have a girlfriend?"

"What?"

Scott lifted his eyes from his homework. He had been totally willing and ready to skip a day of school, hell, the whole week if necessary, but Derek was clearly not pleased with that and he'd ended up attending class every day and hurrying back to Derek's house at night. By the time Saturday rolled around, four days after, Derek seemed much better and back to his usual grouchy self. Cora was clearly pleased with his recovery and told Scott he was completely to blame for it (in earshot of Derek, which just made the man roll his eyes, although Scott noted he didn't disagree).

The situation had been surprising easy to explain to his mom, who understood when a friend needed to be comforted through a difficult time. Stiles he'd deflected so far with half-assed responses and skirting texts, wanting to put off that conversation for as long as possible. As far as work - well, like Derek said, being close to his boss had its benefits.

Scott steered his mind back to the conversation. "I don't - what makes you think I have a girlfriend?" Then it struck him. "Oh, you mean Allison?"

Derek, at his spot from across the table, nodded.

Scott grinned. "We aren't dating anymore. Haven't been for awhile now."

"Oh. You two seem…pretty close."

Scott raised an eyebrow. "Jealous."

Derek's scowled confirmed his guess, even with his vehement, "No."

"It's ok, we get mistaken for a couple a lot."

The other tapped his finger on the table, then a slow grin spread across his face.

"What?" Scott asked, a bit alarmed.

"Someone has to tell Stiles." Derek smirked. "About _us_."

Scott groaned and let his head fall into his arms. "I don't want to think about that. And no, you are not allowed to talk to him about it," he added with narrowed eyes at Derek's expression. "You'd just antagonize him."

Derek leaned back. "Pay back."

"Real mature." A thought struck him. "Where are all the animals, anyways?"

"You took this long to ask?"

"You took this long to ask about Allison," Scott retorted.

"They're at a kennel. I always take them there for a week or so around…" He swallowed thickly then clearly steeled himself. "Around the anniversary. I don't feel like doing anything, even putting food out for them. It's better I just let someone else take care of them for awhile."

"Oh. That makes sense. It's…quiet."

"Don't like it?"

"It's just different."

Derek smiled, a _real_ smile. "Different is good, sometimes."

"Sappy!"

Derek's eyes narrowed at the comment, called from the stairwell above. "When are you going back to South America?" he yelled.

"Touchy! Scott, can't you teach him a few manners?"

Derek rose out of his chair. "I'll teach _her_ a few manners," he muttered as he stalked around the table towards to stairwell. He paused, then suddenly leaned down and kissed Scott.

"What was that for?" Scott asked when he pulled away.

Derek seemed pleased with himself. "Because I can."

Scott considered him as he walked away. Yeah, there were a lot of things wrong with Derek.

But…

There were a lot of things that felt right about Derek and that's all that Scott cared about.

Grinning, he turned back in his chair to finish his homework.

 

\--

 

Cora laughed, punching him none too gently on his arm as he met her at the top of the stairs. "See! Everything worked out."

"Glad my life could keep you entertained," Derek said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Cora wrapped her arms around him unexpectedly. It was a moment before Derek returned the embrace.

"I really am happy for you. Even if it took you forever to get your head out of your ass. He's a nice kid."

Derek's arms tightened for an instant. "…thanks."

"Love you."

"…yeah."

She smiled. "So when's the wedding?"

"Don’t push it."

Derek knew there wasn't much left of him. Too many tragedies, too much suffering, too much everything and now it was like there wasn't enough of him to take it all in. He was filled with too much sadness to ever be truly happy again, to ever accept what he had.

But now - now, he had Scott. And it wasn't perfect, not by any means, but that was because Scott was _alive_ , and he wasn't a tragedy, he wasn't an event that broke and hurt and that could be filed away and repressed.

Scott was alive and Derek was starting to feel that he wanted to be too.

**Author's Note:**

> I really liked this prompt! I feel like there's a lot left to write about, so there may be more coming :) Hope you enjoyed it!
> 
> Thanks to the mods of the Bite Off Center for organizing such a great fest!


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